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Environmental mitigation – the process of taking actions to avoid, decrease or compensate for the impacts of human activity – is often considered a magic pill that can fix damages caused to an ecosystem. This magic pill has been put to use most recently in India’s Great Nicobar island. The government, which has proposed multiple infrastructure projects on the island, has said that coral colonies and giant clams that will be affected due to the work on the proposed international transhipment port will be translocated to four newly identified sites along the island’s west coast as a mitigation measure.

However, there is a difference between what is being proposed and ecological reality. Genuine coral translocation must consider ecological dimensions to ensure longevity and long-term resilience. When viewed through this lens, the proposed translocation of corals reveals itself to be a dangerous illusion.

To understand why, it is essential to first understand the biology and ecology of the coral reef ecosystem. Coral reefs are the most biologically diverse marine ecosystems on earth. Although they occupy less than 1% of the ocean floor, they are home to more than 25% of all marine species. They form three-dimensional physical structures that provide abundant shelter, feeding, and breeding grounds for a range of reef-associated organisms. In addition, they provide vital ecosystem services to coastal communities, including support for fisheries, tourism, and act as crucial natural barriers against storm surges, cyclones, tsunamis etc.

Golden-lined snapper. Photo: Vardhan Patankar

Circling barracudas fish in the Nicobar islands. Photo: Vardhan Patankar

A Nicobari spear fisher fishing in Great Nicobar island. Photo: Vardhan Patankar

A coralscape may look like a static underwater landscape of colourful rocks and plants, but in reality, it is an extremely complex, living network of animals called coral polyps. Belonging to the phylum Cnidaria, they are related to jellyfish, but they group together to form huge colonies. Each coral colony consists of thousands of tiny, translucent, cup-shaped, sac-like skeletal structures called corallites, which coral polyps secrete for protection. Hidden within the tissues of these polyps are millions of microscopic algae called zooxanthellae. The beautiful colours of corals that you see are not their own; they come from the zooxanthellae that live inside the polyp tissues. The zooxanthellae and corals work in a tight symbiotic association, where the algae provide vital nutrients........

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